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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26598700">Recovery</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaddieCake/pseuds/PaddieCake'>PaddieCake</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cold and Cruel, Self-Absorbed and Narcissistic [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>But it isn't angst either, Gen, I have the ideas but the actual structure needed some time to figure out, I lied, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Introspection, Like it isn't really fluff, Rehabilitation, WTF, also I needed something before the next part, also I was just in a bit of a rut, i wasn't sure how I wanted to go about it, it's not that bad, literally just them existing and dealing, mentions of nausea but nothing remotely graphic, no beta we die like ben, there is fluff, these aren't even tags</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:27:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,246</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26598700</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaddieCake/pseuds/PaddieCake</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Getting back to normal.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Cold and Cruel, Self-Absorbed and Narcissistic [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1797274</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>142</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Recovery</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Klaus laid down in his bed, stretching out as he tried to ignore the screaming he was still hearing. He was out of detox, thankfully, but now he was in in-patient rehab, though he wasn't with the group he had before. He missed his usual group, their familiar faces, and how he didn't have to explain things from the beginning, because most of them already knew enough to keep up, and those that didn't learned quickly. You couldn't be part of 'staying sober' meetings when you haven't been. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of getting to hear from Mickie, who'd been off crack for five years, whether Phe and his husband had adopted a baby like they'd been discussing. He didn't get to see how Leah, who had only been sober and out of rehab for four months when Klaus last saw her, was settling into her friend's apartment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now he had Cassie the recovering heroin addict who wanted to get sober for her sick mother, and Jimmy the alcoholic who scared himself after getting into a luckily non-fatal car accident, and Dani the court-ordered rehab case. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>New faces for his new trigger, he supposed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were nice enough, Klaus enjoyed being around them for the most part, although he avoided Dani. It was clear she wasn't taking this seriously, and Klaus was trying to be good, so he avoided her. It also helped that she was one of the most vocally curious about him being there, and it physically pained Klaus to be in the same room as her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Ben was helping him sus out the people who were there for genuine recovery. Klaus did better in groups that could keep him on track. He knew he had to focus on himself first, but being able to just sit quietly with people who also wanted to get better was helpful. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> As a whole, the others in recovery weren't particularly shy about asking about the book, what was true, what wasn't. Klaus was glad they were tactful enough to know not to pester him with questions when he made it clear he wasn't ready to discuss it with anybody one-on-one, or in groups.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It did suck though, whatever anonymity he pretended to have in the past was pretty much gone when Vanya so directly connected his life as The Séance and his life now, so he was rather easily recognized by his peers. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It made the embarrassment he felt for relapsing much stronger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The counselors were kind, though, and encouraging. It was how Julian had been when he'd stumbled to his house high off his ass, and how Patrick had been when he came to pick him up the next morning.  Klaus didn't feel like he deserved it. He knew it was early sobriety making him feel that way, but it didn't make it easier to deal with. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Klaus, with encouragement from Ben, brought it up in the first group session that day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the first time in the week and a half he'd been out of detox that he felt confident enough to share, and he felt so appreciative of the pride and encouragement Margie the counselor,  and the group, showered him with. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Days went by, group sessions, speakers who told horrific stories about why they got sober, and some recreational activities like group jogging routine, and art classes that Klaus got a kick out of because despite the basic skill level being taught, he could really dig in and put in detail. He was having fun turning still life paintings of fake flowers into a hidden collage of ghosts. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Ghosts that were slowly getting under control, which Klaus was grateful for.  It was harder to get away from ghosts completely, especially so close to a hospital, like his rehab center was, but he was managing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At the end of his group session, Klaus felt a bit lighter, and when someone asked if he was willing to give him some tips on drawing, Klaus was happy to oblige.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The days turned into weeks, and Klaus slowly felt him coming back to himself, the way he was before the relapsing, and the book. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was in correspondence with Allison through letters, in which he often included doodles of his counselors or 'inmates'. Through the letters he found out that Maddie, with the help of Sasha, had been keeping things under control at work, and he knew he would have to figure out an appropriate award, a raise and title promotion, for the both of them. Allison said he had lost a few clients he had lined up, and about fifteen employees total, which worried him because he wasn't sure if he'd be able to replace them . He'd lost some really fantastic artists, and he had to assume his reputation was  trashed. Allison might be able to work her magic (completely metaphorically) and fix her situation, but Klaus </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He had given Allison blanket permission to damage control for him while he was in rehab, but he didn’t know how, or if it was even possible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Allison had put off saying anything in regards to the book for the first month or so. It was mostly because she’d been on bed rest due to the stress she was under, but also it gave her a chance to figure out what she wanted to say. She was both horrified and glad that interest hadn’t waned yet. It had given her a chance to be able to redeem herself, and not be demonized.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course it also meant that the longer she waited, the more people thought she had to hide.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her obvious weight gain, her subtly hinting at her pregnancy by keeping her hands on her belly, or hinting at feeling nauseous about certain foods or drinks when offered them during an interview, were all effective methods in gaining sympathy. She didn’t like using her pregnancy like that, but it was useful, and if nothing else Allison knew how to use whatever she could to her advantage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had managed to convince people that her use of her powers extended to only her first handful of roles, and had learned early on it was wrong. “They wanted to overlook me for someone more experienced, or… different.  And I was scared. I was new, and I didn't want to lose my first opportunity, what I thought might have been my only opportunity." It was only a half-lie. She knew a large part of it was that she thought she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>owed </span>
  </em>
  <span>the part, but being afraid was true enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was better now. Or she was trying, at any rate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She couldn't afford to have her reputation tainted, and she even cried as she explained herself. The tears were genuine, her own guilt amplified by her early hormonal changes, but it worked. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>hated</span>
  </em>
  <span> it, that she had to defend herself at all, but also that the best way to go about it was being emotional. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If she was honest she wished she could just physically fight her way out of it, but she didn’t think television interviewers were really prepared for that. The thought made her laugh, and judging by the letter Klaus had sent her in response, he found it pretty funny too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> The allegations of Klaus’ drug use, people claiming he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>been sober, because his previous rehab stays had gone under the radar, were interesting to say the least. She was doing her best to mitigate some of this, letting people know that while he had relapsed, emphasizing that he had been sober, he was once again in rehab. She asked for privacy, and was careful not to let slip any information on where he was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> She was feeling better, now, more rested. It helped that she didn’t have as much to worry about. With Patrick being amazingly understanding, and Klaus safe in rehab it cut her reasons for being so stressed out in half.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allison was lounging on their couch, watching a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chopped </span>
  </em>
  <span>marathon, a bowl of popcorn sitting empty on the floor beside her. It was one of the few foods that didn’t make her physically ill at the moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her hand was splayed over her stomach, she was finally starting to look pregnant. She kind of liked it, at least until she realized her favorite clothes were starting to fit too tightly, and Gemma and Amelia had to convince her she’d be able to fit in them again after she gave birth, though had threatened to just outright steal them from her themselves. Victoria told her Klaus would probably steal them from her before she even had to worry about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She heard the door click open, and Allison was glad that Patrick was home. “Hey, sweetie, can you make me more popcorn? I don’t feel like moving.” This wasn’t a pregnancy thing, Allison was pretty sure she had just melted into the couch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patrick snorted, coming over to kiss her forehead before grabbing her bowl. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dani had met her court ordered date and got out of rehab, which made Klaus’ stay much less stressful. She had gotten more and more persistent in asking him about the book, and she had gained a small following who followed suit. It made him far more uncomfortable discussing it, and delayed his own healing, her little gang disbanded and Klaus found it amusing that if they had just left him alone they probably would have gotten more information. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It meant that Klaus was in rehab about a month longer than he had initially intended, but he really needed it. He felt guilty about abandoning work, but he was able to talk about that in group. The counsellors and his peers were able to help him process his situation better. He could understand that his employees were doing their best while he was away, and that he wasn’t going to be useful to them if he just relapsed when he got back, and it helped ease the stress he felt being away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was upset, though not guilty, by missing the first few months of Allison’s pregnancy. It helped knowing he would be able to help her more, sober, than how he was before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had spent a total of three months at rehab and he felt really good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He also missed owning more than a week’s worth of clothes, and more variety in meals.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Needless to say, despite how much better he genuinely felt he was glad to be going back to the real world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p>
  <span>--</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allison was cooking, mostly because her food based nausea was fading, and apparently it would come back during the third trimester, so she wanted to get as many different foods as possible before that happened. It didn’t help that she had been watching cooking shows pretty frequently, salivating at the foods that she knew would have made her feel sick if she actually smelt them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Patrick was chopping onions for her, while she was cooking rice, when there was a knock on the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll get it.” Patrick said, tossing the onions in a pan and heading to the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She could hear some vague rustling, and whispered conversation before Patrick came back. “It’s for you.” He said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She squinted at him, but she really didn’t need any prodding to realize it was Klaus. She turned to greet him, but he had already begun meeting her half way. They quickly wrapped each other up in tight hugs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You said you weren’t going to be here for another week.” Allison said, slapping his chest gently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Klaus shrugged “Hey I wanted to surprise you </span>
  <em>
    <span>somehow</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. She was glad to see how good he looked, though she had been spared actually witnessing his relapse. “You cut your hair shorter, though.” She said ruffling it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, thought it would be different.” He said, motioning to her stomach excitedly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go ahead, but the baby hasn’t started moving yet, still another month or so.” She said, but Klaus didn’t care as he pressed an ear to her stomach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi baby, you were a teeny tiny bean when I last saw you, but I’m your uncle Klaus, and I love you very much.” He said, and Allison couldn’t help but laugh at Klaus outright staring at her belly as he spoke to the baby.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m encouraging the baby to remember my voice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you start singing…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Klaus pouted, but stood up and Allison felt outright </span>
  <em>
    <span>horror</span>
  </em>
  <span> that he was actually about to sing at her baby. “Klaus… you can</span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> sing. Well! You cannot sing </span>
  <em>
    <span>well</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Allison corrected, catching Klaus about to argue with her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well fine, be that way.” Klaus said, sniffing at her. “This is how I’m treated, I'll just go.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Allison rolled her eyes as Klaus floated out the door, dramatically slamming the door behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good to have you back, asshole!” Allison called out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t curse in front of the baby! Also Ben says hi!” Klaus called back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Holy shit he really </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to steal my clothes.” Allison said, realizing his voice had come from upstairs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can’t wear them now anyway!” Klaus called back, and Allison had to figure Ben was the one who relayed her message.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sighed, trying to convince herself she was glad he was back. She leaned her head on Patrick’s shoulder, breaking into a fit of giggles, encouraged by the sound of Klaus laughing upstairs.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, fun fact, this entire series originally had Klaus still using consistently, rather than sober with  relapses/slip ups, and he was supposed to have gotten into a huge fight with Patrick right around the time Allison got pregnant, and it was a huge wake up call for him to get clean and then he sneaks off to rehab for like six months and surprised them both with sobriety.</p><p>That did not happen, obviously. Also, there was originally supposed to be this underlying thread where Klaus was going to be jealous of Allison and Patrick, in part due to having a lot of really bad relationships, and it would have partially been the reason for his constant drug abuse, but Julian, and the just... nature of the development of Klaus and Allison's relationship put the kibosh on that. </p><p>I like the way it turned out better x3.<br/>--</p><p>Also I'm going to completely skip the actual birth giving, so you do not have to worry about that.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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